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Don Decker
Real Name: Donald Decker Case: Unexplained Phenomenon Date: February 1983 Location: Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania Case Details: On February 24, 1983, a funeral was held in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, for sixty-three-year-old James Kishaugh. His twenty-one-year-old grandson, Don Decker, had been granted a furlough from the county jail to attend the funeral. He was serving a four-to-ten month sentence for receiving stolen property. What he had not told people was that James had physically abused him since he was seven. He felt that the "evil" in his life was finally gone. However, it apparently did not leave, but instead manifested itself that night. Don, angered by his parents glorifying James, decided to stay the night with his friends, Bob and Jeannie Keiffer. While at their home, he had an uneasy, chilled feeling overcome him. Suddenly, water began to drip from the walls. He fell into an eerie, trance-like state. After the water started dripping from the ceiling, the Keiffers decided to notify their landlord, Ron Van Why. When he arrived, he was surprised at the amounts of water coming out of nowhere. At first, the Keiffers thought it was a plumbing problem until they realized that there were no pipes in the front end of the house. They also noticed that the water was not just falling downwards. It was also coming up from the floor and moving sideways. Ron called his wife, Romayne, and the police. Officers John Bojan and Richard Wolbert went to the home. They were shocked by the amount of water coming from nowhere. They also were surprised when they saw it traveling horizontally. Even more strange was that the phenomenon was only occurring in the living room. The officers left to file a report with the police chief. Don and the Keiffers went across the street to a restaurant. Ron and Romayne decided to stay behind. Right after the rest of them left, the "rain" and mist completely disappeared. They felt that one of the people that left was connected to the mysterious rain. Twenty-three hours had now passed since it began. The Keiffers and Don arrived at the restaurant, which was owned by Pam Scrofano. She had visited the home earlier and witnessed the rain first-hand. She was convinced that the Devil was responsible and that it was working through Don. Suddenly, the rain started falling in the restaurant as well. Pam gave him a crucifix, which started to burn him. She told them to contact the church to perform an exorcism. When Don and the Keiffers left, the rain stopped again. Back at the Keiffer home, Romayne confronted Don about somehow purposefully causing all of the problems. Suddenly, pots and pans started moving and he was levitated off the ground. Then, he was thrown violently across the kitchen. A few hours later, the officers returned with their chief, a hardened skeptic. He seemed adamant that it was a plumbing problem and not supernatural. He ordered the officers to leave, not come back, and not file a report. The next day, against the chief's orders, three officers returned to the home to try and figure out what had happened. One gave Don a crucifix which burned his hands. The rain appeared and he was thrown across the room again. The officers then noticed three claw marks on his neck with blood coming from them. The officers involved still can't explain what they saw. Finally, on the third night, Ron convinced an evangelical preacher to come and attempt an exorcism. Other priests and ministers had turned him down. When the preacher began to pray, Don began to convulse violently. Those present seemed to notice a different feeling in the home. At the end of the prayer, the rain stopped and never appeared in the Keiffer home again. It appeared that the bizarre incident was over. A few days later, Don was returned to jail to finish his sentence. While he was back in there, the rain materialized again. His cellmate was drenched in water. Two guards and a janitor also reported seeing the rain. This time, however, Don felt that he could control it. One guard told him to make it rain in the warden's office. Just moments later, water appeared on the warden's shirt. A reverend was sent to the jail to meet with Don. A smell of death came through the area where they were. He witnessed the rain appear in the area as well. It did so at Don's command. The reverend opened his Bible and it did not get wet. He prayed for him and the rain stopped. The reverend also performed a ceremony on him. Eventually, as mysteriously as the rain began, it stopped. The rain has never occurred since, but Don and the various witnesses still do not have an explanation for it. However, he believes that it has something to do with James' abuse. Paranormal investigators believe that it was genuine. Extra Notes: This case first aired on the February 10, 1993, episode. It was also featured on an episode of Paranormal Witness on the SyFy Channel. Results: Unsolved. In 2012, Don was arrested and charged with arson. Although the incident was unrelated to the 1983 happenings, some say the new arrest makes him appear less credible. One researcher has noted that the incident in the Keiffer home may be the result of ice damming on the attic and roof. He believes that the melted ice may have entered the home, causing the strange phenomena. Although many are convinced that the incident was a hoax, others are certain that an unknown supernatural force was behind it. Links: * Don Decker on Unsolved.com * 'Rainman' charged with arson * Stroudsburg mysteries: The devil and Don Decker * Paranormal skeptic rains on Stroudsburg’s devil tale ---- Category: Pennsylvania Category:1983 Category: ESP Cases Category:Unusual Phenomenon Cases Category: Unsolved